Improvement in atmospheric alabm-whistles



S. G. CABELL. Atmospheric Alarm Whistle.

Patented My 9, 1867.

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SAMUEL G. CABELL, OF QUINGY, ILLINOIS.

Lam Patent No. 66,459, dated July e, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN ATMOSPHERE ALARM-WHISTLES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. CABELL, of Quincy, in Adams county,.andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements inAtmospheric Alarm-Whistles and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawing, and to letters of reference marked thereon,forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents arear elevation of my apparatus. I

Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section, looking from the front.

Figure 3, a plan of one of the whistles, detached for use in alife-boat, or by an individual in case of shipwreck.

The nature of my invention consists in a novel construction andcombination of air-chambers with a blastwhistle, provided withfoot-valves for alternate action to produce sound; also, ina-combination of blast and vacuum-whistles, or their equivalents, foroperation as hereinafter described; further, in the arrangement of afunnel and feed pipe by which to supply the. chamber with fluid, anddetermine its proper level therein; also, in providing for theintroduction in such an apparatus of such chemicals as will by theirmixture gcneratc'gas,

and consequent pressure for operating or sounding the whistles, and incombination with an air-chamber of an air-pump, operated byvibra-tingmotion for the same purpose; and further, in providing asimple attachment for the application of the whistles, so that they maybe removed" from the main apparatus, and be severally made available foruse in the lifQbOiLlS, in case of shipwreck and abandonment of thevessel.

To enable others to ma l e and use my invention I will describe itsconstruction and operation by referring to the drawing, in which-- Arepresents the framing of the apparatus, supporting, in suitablejournals, thehorizontal axle B, to which are secured three or more arms,c connected at their outer ends with the annular chamber D. This chamberD is constructed larger in' diameter, on-its cross-section, at its loweror pendent side, and gradually tapering each way to its upper side, andis provided with a screw-plug, E, at the bottom, to which furtherallusion will be made hereinafter. It is also provided with a stop-cock,F, surmounted by'a tube, 2, and funnel, g, for the purpose o frchargingit with any suitable fluid, H; said-tube supporting the funnel at itstop, at or about the centre of the annular chiimber D, which positionindicates the proper level of the charge. At the upper side of thischamber D, at a point where its cross-section is the smallest, isinserted a diaphragm, a, which. divides that portion unoccupied by thefluid H into two distinct compartments, 6 5', and immediately above,extending on each side of this diaphragm, is connectedau-air-chau1ber,I, provided with foot-va1vcs c c, to establish acommunication with the compartments 6 b, alternately. Above, and incommunication with the air-chamber, is a blast-whistle, J, the operationof which will be explained hereinafter. On either side of thisair-chamber I is attached a. whistle, d (2', each of which communicateswith the annular chamber D, through. intermediate stop-cocks K K. and isprovided with suitable valves e e, openinginwardly to thecompartments 1) b, in the cha inber D. I I

The operation-ot the apparatus, thus constructed, will then be asfollows: When the vessel is rolling the apparatus may be settransversely of the vessel, and the annular chamber secured, with itscentral whistle, J, in a vertical position, when, by the rolling motionof the vessel, the fluid H will oscillate from side to side in thechamber ID, and thus operate the valves 0 c and c e, alternately; c ande opening simultaneously, and on the reverse motion they will be closedand c and 0 opened, resulting from the alternate pressure and vacuumproduced in the compartments 6 and b by the oscillation of the fluidI-I, thus causing the whistle J to be sounded by the blast produced bythe oscillation to either side; and one of the whistles (Z (1' will besounded alternately by the vacuum caused in the compartments b Z) by thereceding motion of the fluid H, thus producing a continuous sounding ofthe blast-whistle, and alternately of the vacuum-whistles. When themotion of the vessel is of a pitching character, as-in riding across-sea, the apparatus may be arranged parallel with the kelson, whenit will operate in thesame manner. Should there be little or no motionin the vessel, as is commonly the case in foggy weather,.I append tothis apparatus a train of wheels, L, put in motion hy hand, a weight,spring or other suitable motor, operating through a crank,f, and pitman,g, to communicate an oscillating motion to the chamber D, thus producingthe same result by hand or mechanical means. The screw-plug E, at thebottom of the annular chamber D, isprovided for a twofold purpose:first, to facilitate the removal of any sediment that might accumulatein the bottom of said chamber, and secondly for the introduction of suchsalts, minerals, or metals, as will by solution in acids or other fluidsgenerate gas, and consequent pressure or blast for operating or soundingthe whistle attached to said chamber. The salts or metallic filingsbeing deposited in the cupped plug E, and it screwed into place, theacid is'poured in through the funnel 9, sufficient to fill the cup,which must be coated on its inner side with porcelain or other substancethat will resist the action of the acid; the cock F being stopped, thegas generated by the dccompositionot' the metal filings or otherequivalent will escape through and sound the whistles. As at times, invery dense fog, sound is much impeded'anda more powerful and shrillwhistle is necessary to be heard at a given distance, I combine with thebeforedescribed apparatus an air-pump, M, arranged within theair-chamber I, and having its piston operated by means of a roller, 7t,running'in a slotted cam, N, of suitable form, attached to the framingA, thus couimunieating a reciprocating motion to the piston of saidpump, by the oscillation of thc chamber 1), and thereby increasing thepressure of the air in the air-chamber I, and consequently producing alouder sound of the whistle J. In order to make this apparatus availablein case of emergency, such as shipwreck or the abandonment of the vesselfrom any othercause, I provide an apparatus as represented in fig. 3,consisting of a stopcock, P, having an angular passage, 7?, through theplug, as represented, and an elastic and self-contracting bag, m,attached to the end of the plug. To this stop-cock is connected a commonair pump, bellows, or any suitable blast instrument, the plug beingturned so as to establish a passage between the air-pump or bellows andthe bag m. Said bag may be filled with air, and thus expanded to itsgreatest capacity, and retained ready for use; three of theseaccompanying the apparatus in case of abandonment, in which case thewhistles may be removed from the before-described apparatus, and eachattached to one of these hand instruments, to be used on the life-boats.The elastic bag being filled with air and the whistles attached, when itis desired to sound the whistle, it is done by simply turning the plughalf round, or to any desired or necessary extent, to establish apassage between the said bag and the whistle, when the bag willgradually collapse, discharging the air through and sounding thewhistle, which may be made to continue for a reasonable length of time,in proportion to the size and contractile power of the bag. Thisapparatus is equally applicable for light-houses, reefs, points or barson tortuous channels, or buoys, as for vessels.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The chamber D, when constructed so that the air-chambers b b thereofcommunicate by means of valves 2 c, on either side of a dividing plate,a, with the whistle J, for operation substantially as set forth.

2. The arrangement-and combination of the vacuum-whistles d d with theblast-Whistle J, or their equivalents, for alternate operation, theformer serving to supply air to the chamber D, and the latter to give itvent, by means of valves suitably arranged and operating substantiallyas set forth.

3. The arrangement and combination of the funnel G with the chamber D,so as to serve as a gauge for the level of the fluid in said chamber,asset forth. I

4. In combination with an air-chamber and whistles, I claim the use ofany compounds that will, by their decomposition or chemical combination,generate gas, and consequent pressure for operating or soundingssidwhistles, or their equivalents, essentially as specified.

5. The combination, with the vibrating weight or chamber D, of anair-pump, M, and air-chamber I, operating substantially as described.

. S. G. GABELL.

Witnesses:

. W. Mounts Ssurn, G150. A. HANSON.

